Fire at Kasubi Tombs structure snuffed out

UGANDA  | CULTURE    |   KASUBI TOMBS

Firefighters battled Friday to contain a fire that gutted structures within the fence of the historical Kasubi Tombs.

Heavy security was deployed to keep back residents and journalists who flocked the scene to find out what was happening.

Police spokesman, Patrick Onyango, described it as ‘a minor fire out, which was quickly extinguished by the Directorate of Fire and Rescue Services.'

"The fire broke out at around 1:00 pm in one of the structures that were meters away from the main tomb. Police were informed and four fire tenders were dispatched to professionally handle the incident," he said in a statement released soon after the fire was put out.

Onyango clarified that the cause of the fire outbreak had not yet been established and investigations were underway.

"The extent of the damage is yet to be computed. We appeal to members of the public to be calm as we investigate the incident," he added.

The main structure of the tombs was almost completely destroyed by a fire in March 2010, the cause of which is under investigation. Reconstruction began in 2014 and is yet to be completed.

The Kasubi Tombs are a site of the burial grounds for four kabakas (kings of Buganda) and other members of the Baganda royal family.

The tombs became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2001, when it was described as "one of the most remarkable buildings using purely vegetal materials in the entire region of sub-Saharan Africa."